House Passes H.R. 2 Infrastructure Bill, inclusive of HTC-GO Enhancements & Temporarily Addressing COVID-19 Distressed Projects 

The Invest in America Act [aka the Moving Forward Act], includes $1.5 trillion to fund infrastructure projects. It dedicates about $400 billion in infrastructure investments for roads, bridges, and transit, and includes key Historic Tax Credit (HTC) improvements and temporary measures related to COVID-19 recovery endorsed by the historic preservation community.

Thank you to our New York House Representatives for supporting this effort, including those who co-sponsored the bill: Yvette Clarke [NY-9], Adriano Espaillat [NY-13], Brian Higgins [NY-26], Carolyn Maloney [NY-12], Sean Patrick Maloney [NY-18], Gregory Meeks [NY-5], Joseph Morelle [NY-25], Thomas Suozzi [NY-3], Paul Tonko [NY-20], Nydia Velazquez [NY-7].

A big thank you to all of our supporters who joined us in this advocacy effort. Your efforts and support of the Preservation League clearly communicated how important preservation is to our economic recovery. This legislation supports preservation in the following ways:

• A temporary increase for all federal historic tax credit projects to aid in post pandemic recovery (30% through 2024, stepping back down to 20% by 2027), and a temporary extension to rehab deadlines impacted by the pandemic;

• Make permanent most of the provisions in the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act, H.R. 2825/S. 2615 (HTC-GO) including: 30% Historic Tax Credit for projects under $2.5 million;

• Eliminates the HTC Basis Adjustment, bringing more value to HTC’s;

• Reduces the Historic Rehab Test to 50% of a building’s basis instead of 100%; 

• Makes the credit easier to use by nonprofits; and

• Includes a provision for communities to rehabilitate existing public schools using the HTC.

Join our continuing advocacy efforts:

Contact Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to share how HTC projects impacted by the pandemic would benefit from temporary HTC provisions in emerging COVID-19 relief Senate legislation. Explain how these enhanced and temporary HTC provisions would bring relief to distressed projects. Suggested messaging to Senators:

• “Please include these needed HTC enhancements that were in the recent House infrastructure bill (H.R. 2) to the next Senate bill, so it may be used as a tool to enable future projects to aid in the economic recovery.”

• Describe obstacles that local projects have faced during the pandemic, such as extra costs incurred and project financing difficulties.

• Share the HTC Recommendations for COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Legislation 

• Explain how the recommended provisions would help these projects and bring back the pipeline of HTC projects that are stalled in your community.

We applaud the House for recently introducing the Moving Forward Act, to aid in COVID-19 response and recovery. Investment in our communities will greatly aid in this response, and historic preservation is key to revitalization efforts. Page 86 of the Act outlines a way to leverage investment by temporarily increasing the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) from 20% to 30% for 5 years. Further, it amends the disqualified lease rules, making the HTC easier for nonprofits and other tax-exempt entities to access it by including projects like health care centers, arts organizations, community services, workforce training providers, and others to use the HTC. This legislation also includes several provisions of the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act, which we have been supporting this past year. 

You can help by contacting your New York Congressional Representative and encouraging them to co-sponsor the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act in the House, and ask Senators to support the introduction of similar legislation. 

On June 4, 2020, H.R. 7092, The Great American Outdoors Act was introduced by the House as the counterpart to S. 3422 previously introduced by the U.S. Senate back in March.

The preservation community is particularly hopeful about the additional good this legislation can do as it addresses the $12 billion maintenance backlog in national parks and public lands to support the preservation of historic and cultural properties.

This legislation will also provide dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the nation’s premier recreation and preservation support program.

Thank you to New York Representatives John Katko, Lee Zeldin, Elise Stefanik, and Max Rose for co-sponsoring this important legislation. 

Last week, a letter was sent to Congressional leadership from the National Trust for Historic Preservation supporting historic preservation initiatives during these challenging times. The Preservation League of New York State signed-on along with 378 other organizations and businesses, including the National Main Street Center, National Trust Community Investment Corporation, National Preservation Partners Network, and the Coalition for American Heritage.

You can view a blog post on the Preservation Leadership Forum that gives a brief overview of the National Trust’s work over the past several weeks.

We encourage those who care about preservation in New York State to reach out to your Congressional delegation to support the priorities set forth in the letter with particular emphasis on the programs you know best and are most relevant to your work. 

120 members of Congress signed-on to the House HPF letter in support of $150 million in funding for the HPF for FY 2021. This is the second highest number of signers and the highest level of funding ever requested in an HPF letter.

A special thank you to our New York Representatives who supported this effort: 

Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), John Katko (NY-24), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Max Rose (NY-11), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Nydia Valazquez (NY-7)

In October 2019, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy [R-LA] introduced S. 2615, the Senate version of H.R. 2825, the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (HTC-GO), introduced by the House earlier this year.

This legislation will bring more value to historic tax credits and improve access to the credit and investment for smaller rehabilitation projects across New York State.

Contact New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and ask them to support this legislation!

On June 19, supporters of improvements to the Federal Historic Tax Credit took part in Lobby Day on Capitol Hill hosted by the Historic Tax Credit Coalition, to encourage support for the HTC-GO legislation. Preservation League staff met with several New York representatives to express the importance of H.R. 2825, and how it would bring more value to historic tax credits and improve access to the credit and investment for smaller rehabilitation projects across New York State.

Don't for forget to contact your New York Congressional Representative and encourage them to co-sponsor the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act in the House, and ask Senators to support the introduction of similar legislation. Please join us in thanking representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) for being an early co-sponsors of this legislation!

Update: Many thanks to local representatives Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Chris Collins (R-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), and John Katko (R-NY) for joining Brian Higgins in co-sponsoring this legislation!

On May 21, the House Appropriations Interior bill report was released. We are pleased that it includes strong support for preservation and the Historic Preservation Fund. This includes important increases for SHPOs & THPOs, expansion for the Civil Rights Movement, Save America's Treasures and HBCU grant programs, and language expressing concern over the proposed rule changes to the National Register.

For more information, view the official press release and Preservation Action’s Legislative Update.

On May 17, legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would bring more value to historic tax credits and improve access to the credit and investment for smaller rehabilitation projects. H.R. 2825 introduced by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and co-sponsored by Darin LaHood (R-PA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Michael Turner (R-OH), and Brian Higgins (D-NY). Senate introduction of similar legislation is expected within the next few weeks. 

Read the NTCIC Action Alert to learn how this legislation would increase the value of HTC transactions and encourage redevelopment of smaller, income-producing properties. Please contact your New York Congressional Representative and encourage them to co-sponsor the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act, sponsored by Blumenauer/ LaHood in the House.

A special thank you to representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) for being an early co-sponsor of this legislation!

The National Park Service recently proposed revisions to the regulations governing the listing of properties in National Register of Historic Places. The Preservation League believes these revisions circumvent the intent of the National Historic Preservation Act and subsequent amendments. The League believes that the proposed rule changes are hostile to the National Register nomination process.

The League summited a letter to Joy Beasley, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, to voice our concerns. Click here to read it.